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NATIONAL NEWS FOR WEEK COMMENCING MAY 13 2018.
IN OUR 23rd YEAR OF NON STOP NEWS

WIA Vice President David Ford, VK4MZ, towards 2020 and beyond!

THIS STORY AND MORE IN THIS EDITION OF NEWS FROM THE WIRELESS INSTITUTE
OF AUSTRALIA 2018 AND FOR WEEK OF MAY 13

SBAS trial takes to the sea and sky

Australia's Satellite-Based Augmentation System trial is enabling the safe
travel of ocean liners and regional aircraft.

In an article in criticalcomms.com.au they report that the improved positioning
accuracy and integrity of the satellite technology is down to TEN CENTIMETERS.

as an example, SBAS has been under test with maritime vessels, with the giant
ocean liner 'Ovation of the Seas' using the system to dock at Sydney's Circular
Quay.

The trial was conducted by Acoustic Imaging in consultation with the Port
Authority of New South Wales. Acoustic Imaging's lead scientist for maritime
programs, Nicole Bergersen, said the docking of Ovation of the Seas, which is
more than 330 metres long and too tall to fit beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge,
was an opportunity to test how the use of SBAS could potentially benefit
operations on Sydney Harbour.

We're at a level where metres, AND centimetres matter," Nicole said.

"What SBAS is allowing us to do is have the pilot rely JUST on the information
on the computer screen and if we can enable instrument navigation, then the
pilot no longer needs visibility to be able to steer a ship. "That's going to
allow the Port Authority of New South Wales to bring in more ships, more
frequently and in adverse conditions.

Still on the high seas, L3 Communications Australia has been awarded a
subcontract to supply communications systems for offshore patrol vessels for
the Royal Australian Navy.

While opening L3's new Defence Design and Engineering Centre in Victoria,
Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, said the contract with L3
would provide the communications throughout the ships, including monitoring
systems for the engines and navigation system for all 12 vessels.

"This contract will see jobs created in Australia while allowing L3 to package
a range of their maritime solutions together, providing further growth and
opportunities for local Australian companies," Pyne said.

Construction will commence on the first ship at Osborne Naval Shipyard in
South Australia (VK5) before the end of 2018.

WIA front page news ( wia.org.au ) are reporting in an item by VK5WTF that
Google has announced at the Google I/O conference that they will add Morse
input to their GBoard software for Android phones.

The input method is focused on accessibility and as a few new characters for
on-screen keyboards.

More technical details can be found on the experiments page and hardware input
is also available for tinkerers.

WIA

G'day from David Ford, VK4MZ for the last time on the weekly broadcast as the
Vice President of the WIA. I step down from office at the AGM in a few days'
time.

Today, a vision for the future of Amateur Radio. The world is a different
place to when Amateur radio first became popular, and that time has passed.
Going forward, what Amateur radio will become is entirely up to you, the
current AR community.

Working together towards a common goal we can rejuvenate the hobby for
decades to come, but to be successful the hobby will take on a different
identity.

Just imagine, in a not so distant, hypothetical future. A world where heroes
solve cyber-crimes and business superstars exist due to their ability to
exploit technology. E-sports, battle-bots and drone racing have taken over
from sports like AFL and rugby.

A future where amateur radio is one of the fastest growing hobbies on the
planet. Multi-operator stations running contests are streamed live online
via you-tube and twitch. Online scoreboards are tracking who's leading
contests live and, in a technology driven world, AR contests are fast
becoming the biggest gambling and team events on the planet. SDRs are used to
record contests and commentators discuss the SO2R play of the day. Fantasy
contests are run, like fantasy football, where you choose a hypothetical
point on the planet to setup your virtual shack and the real propagation
proves whether you chose the best site and equipment, or not. There are
adventure sports ran like marathons but with SOTA and parks and peaks
contacts gaining you extra points towards a win. ARDF contests are run at
schools around the country and ARDF is now an Olympic sport. Amateur Radio
manufacturers are now some of the most influential companies on the planet.

It's not a future that is all that difficult to imagine. Imagine if you will.

In this future every occupation is aligned with making the best use of
technology, budding technologists looking to build a career, become an
entrepreneur or build something ground breaking will need to learn about how
to harness the power of IT systems. Here, Amateur Radio is a stepping stone
and a way to learn about the ones, zeros and maybe even qubits that are the
keys to being successful in that future.

Your future descendants live and breathe this life as a reality. They think
back to how grandad, or grandma was a pioneer in Amateur Radio. They reflect
with great admiration and tell their friends, about how what you did today
made all the difference.

The WIA is fundamental to realising this destiny. In this future the WIA is a
virtual office that buzzes with activity, it sounds and feels like a war-room
coordinating events, on-going contests, training materials, manages the
press and works to coordinate the efforts of radio and electronic enthusiasts
across Australia's states and territories. The WIA working with clubs, both
online and local, drives and supports this resurgent interest in Amateur
Radio and helps to build Australia into the knowledge economy that it is so
compelled to become.

From that possible future, and back to the present. This year has seen a
strong financial re-positioning of the WIA. We've setup new systems that will
be central to running and automating the business processes of the WIA and
systems that act as a central point to collect data, manage communications
and enable marketing efforts. We've got a very capable group of people to
help run the organisation.

We've initiated and brought on board six IT project managers who are eager to
run projects and we have an organisation that is now prepared for
transformation over the coming years.

At the WIA there are people who dedicate a huge amount of time to working
together and achieving the advancement of Amateur Radio. Unfortunately, it is
currently a herculean effort of a few, whereas what's needed is small
contributions from many. If the Amateur Radio community cannot work together
to build a future, then it's a future that will see the decline of Amateur
Radio.

That future is up to you as you a part of the amateur radio community. You
can support a legacy that see's AR fade into history or take up a call to
action and work together to be a part of something great. Support the WIA so
that the WIA can continue to be an agent for change and the future of Amateur
Radio. Your support can be as simple as sharing a supportive word for the
organisation, becoming a member, or even volunteering your time to work on
something productive that you enjoy doing with a great bunch of people.

The WIA's Radio and Electronics Convention being held on the 19th and 20th of
May on the Gold Coast is talking about Amateur Radio as it moves towards 2020.
Registrations closed this week, however, we've been able to negotiate an
extension for new registrations until Wednesday the 16th of May, all-be-it
with a late-fee. So go online to the WIA website today and get your
registration in.

That's it from me as Vice President for the 2017/2018 year. Support your WIA
where you can. I hope to hear you around the bands and I'll still be around
the WIA from time to time. I've enjoyed this year immensely and I've
certainly enjoyed hearing the support for building Amateur Radio's future.

Have a great day, and I hope to see you at the AGM in a few days time.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS With thanks to IARU, RSGB, SARL, Southgate AR Club,
ARRL, Amateur Radio Newsline, NZART, Local News Services VK2, 7 and the
WW sources of the WIA including VK2FKND

May 8 was Amateur Radio Day in Puerto Rico.

In his proclamation, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo A. Rossell Nevares cited
the Amateur Radio response in Puerto Rico in the wake of hurricanes Irma and
Maria last September, which provided emergency communication on behalf of the
American Red Cross as part of the federal government response, and efforts to
restore electrical power to the island.

Amateur Radio Day offers "the opportunity to exalt the valuable service of the
radio amateurs of Puerto Rico and their contribution to the development and
evolution of this important means of communication in our society," the
Governor's proclamation declared.

Amateur Radio Day in Puerto Rico is always the second Tuesday of May.

However a gloominess does overshadow the May 8 date.

The ARRL report a radio amateur engaged in the Puerto Rico recovery is among
the Hercules C-130 crash victims

A radio amateur and Puerto Rico Air National Guard member involved in
hurricane recovery there died on May 2 when a Hercules C-130 aircraft crashed
killing all aboard.

Among the nine fatalities was Eric Circuns, WP 4 OXB, of Rio Grande,
Puerto Rico. The cargo plane, attached to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard's
156th Airlift Wing, went down shortly after take-off.

According to media accounts, the 60-year-old aircraft was under repair in
before it took off. It had been used in several hurricane relief and recovery
efforts and was reported to be on its way to Arizona to be decommissioned.

Ada Lace call home!

Author Emily (KD8KPR) Calandrelli's latest book aimed at young people
'Ada Lace, Take Me to Your Leader,' featuring amateur radio
has now been published.

Ada is an 8-year-old with a knack for science, mathematics, and solving
mysteries with technology. Her latest project is to fix up a ham radio,
something that she could use to contact people on this planetand beyond.

VK2KMI has more:-

Introducing Author of 'Ada' Emily Calandrelli KD8PKR who grew up in
West Virginia.

At university, she won numerous academic awards. She became a Truman Scholar
which led to her workinging in Washington, D.C. In 2009, she was named to the
USA Today all-academic team, won the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, and was
voted Ms. Mountaineer. She later graduated with a B.S. degree in Mechanical
Engineering and Aerospace Engineering in 2010.

Subsequently, Calandrelli went to the MIT where she obtained an M.S. degree in
Aeronautics and Astronautics as well an M.S. degree in Technology and Policy.

Calandrelli is a professional speaker and presents on the topics of space
exploration, scientific literacy, and equality of the sexes in STEM

She has written a series of books to introduce youth to science and
technology.

Her latest is about an eight-year-old girl with a knack for science, math, and
solving mysteries with technology.

Third grader and inventor extraordinaire Ada Lace likes nothing more than to
tinker. Her latest project is to fix up a ham radio, something that she could
use to contact people on this planetand beyond. The only problem is that she
just can't get it to work properly.

During a sleepover, Ada's best friend Nina hears something strange coming from
the radio in the middle of the night. A distant voice says, "Release the swarm!"
convincing Nina that aliens are about to invade planet Earth.

What a great way to introduce girls to ham radio.

I'm Kimberly Olsen VK2KMI for the WIA National News

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Calandrelli

Nevada Governor issues proclamation

The State of Nevada has once again publicly recognized the value of her
amateur radio operators in the form of a Governors Proclamation by Governor
Brian Sandoval naming June 2018 as 'Amateur Radio Month in Nevada'.

Public acclamations praising the service of ham radio operators in the
Silver State are not uncommon. A similar proclamation has been issued by
Governor Sandoval during each of his eight years in office.

Bigley elaborated about the relationship that Nevada has with amateur radio.
"On the state level The Nevada Division of Emergency Management and the ARRL
Nevada Section maintain a formal relationship, the DEM recognizes the ARRL
Field Organization as being an important resource." "If you walk into the
Situation Room at pretty much any county Emergency Operations Centre around
the state, you are going to see the vest of their local ARES/RACES Emergency
Coordinator slung over the back of a chair. The presence of those vests are a
testament to the trust that Nevada's professional Emergency Managers have in
ARRL volunteers."

RADIO ACTIVE:-

The Herald-Palladium reports Southwest Michigan emergency response agencies
have passed a test of their ability to respond to a simulated nuclear accident
at Palisades nuclear power plant

The response drill was well received by the US agencies of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Emergency service agencies plus schools, public health, amateur radio
operators, the American Red Cross and others took part.

A little further down the log today Col, VK3LED will have more 'Rescue Radio'
news.

Michigan Radio interviews Ruth Willet KM4LAO

In a world of Skype and FaceTime, a Kettering (Michigan) student and amateur
satellite enthusiast Ruth Willet KM 4 LAO is bringing back the university
amateur radio club

Yes she may be busy with her double major in Mechanical Engineering and
Engineering Physics, but Ruth Willet always finds time for her passion:
amateur radio.

And even in this era of FaceTime and Skype, the freshman is doing her best to
fire up enthusiasm on campus for amateur radio.

KM4LAO talked about the radio club at school and what she gets out of it over
a local radio outlet.

HAM RADIO OPERATIONAL NEWS - IT'S A CONTACT SPORT

All major Australian contests, rules and results, are on the
Contest Section of the WIA website.

The 2018 International Amateur Radio Union HF World Championship Contest takes
place the second full weekend of July, that is the weekend of 14 and 15 July
2018, beginning 1200 UTC Saturday 14th July and ending 1200 UTC Sunday 15th
July. Both Single and Multi-operator stations may operate the entire 24-hour
period.

All licensed amateurs worldwide are eligible to participate in this contest.

The objective is to contact as many other amateurs as possible, especially
IARU member society HQ stations, around the world using the 160, 80, 40, 20,
15 and 10 meter bands. Multipliers are the total number of ITU zones plus IARU
member society HQ stations worked on each band (not mode). Thus, your
Society's HQ stations participation is very important for the multipliers.
Last year, 11 societies participated in the contest from Region 3.

IARU officials represent a maximum of four multipliers per band
(AC, R1, R2 and R3). 2 regional AC members have the option of using "AC" or
regional designator "R3". Regional EC members who are not AC members must use
designator "R3".

You can find the complete rules at the URL in the text version of this
broadcast.

http://www.arrl.org/iaru-hf-championship

Ken Yamamoto JA1CJP the Secretary of IARU Region Three is planning to
participate in this contest with the "R3" designator and hopes to work many
VK stations during the contest.

This news item is also available on the WIA web site

(VK8ZZ WIA Secretary)

Pacific Tour

Dave, WJ2O, has announced his plans to activate a few islands in the Pacific
before and after he joins the KH1/NH7Z Baker Island DXpedition.

His tentative schedule (all dates are approx.) is as follows:

American Samoa (KH8) -- Around June 8th; for 2 days
Samoa (5W) -- Around June 11th; for 2 days
American Samoa (KH8) -- Around June 13th; for 4 days; signing KH8/WJ2O
Baker Island (KH1) -- Around June 27th; for 10 days
Fiji (3D2) -- Around July 13th for 4 days

Dave reports from the Visalia DX Convention:
I don't have a license for Samoa or Fiji yet.
I know on American Samoa I will sign simply KH8/WJ2O.
With the group on Baker we are KH1/KH7Z.

The 'Martello Tower' group will once again be running a special event station
GB 5 RC from the Radio Caroline ship the MV Ross Revenge over a long weekend
3rd to 5th August.

They also have arranged trips out to visit the ship for a tour including
studios, transmitter room etc.

(Sourced to SouthGate)

GB1NHS permanent special event call sign

"Essex Ham" reports the official launch of GB 1 NHS.

This unique permanent special event call sign is being looked after on behalf
of the National Health Service by Paul Devlin G1SMP

Paul has plans to put the call sign to good use promoting both amateur radio
within the NHS, and NHS initiatives using amateur radio.

(Sourced to SouthGate)

WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- DIGITAL

The third public test of FT8 DXpedition Mode on May 5 is being called a
success.

The goal of the exercise was to simulate a rare DXpedition pileup on FT8 by
having many stations ("Hounds") calling and trying to work a designated pseudo
DXpedition station ("Fox").

"A number participants and would-be participants reported that propagation was
spotty, at best," said Joe Taylor, K1JT, on behalf of the WSJT development
group, which is sponsoring the tests. "Nevertheless, at AA7A, G4WJS, K1JT, and
K9AN, we copied 405 unique call signs of stations acting as Hounds, and at
least one Fox was worked by 305 of them.

FT8 DXpedition Mode permits a DXpedition station (Fox) to work several
stations at a time, utilizing different "slots" for each contact.

The downside is that the greater the number of parallel slots, the less power
for each slot. Taylor said the penalty is 14 dB for five slots. He went on to
say the setup at W7/KH7Z is comparable to what will be used during the
KH1/KH7Z Baker Island DXpedition in June.

Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club invites you to 'High Flying Radios
- Using satellites for communication'.

Tony Falla VK3KKP will entertain with his adventures in space with amateur
radio satellites, the International Space Station and a journey back to the
sixties when unmanned space craft orbited the Moon.

This month, the BAREC meeting will be in Castlemaine, and the evening
commences at 7.30 pm, Friday May 18th at the 1st Castlemaine Scout Hall,
16 Reckleben St, Castlemaine.

A gold coin donation would be appreciated. Tea, coffee and biscuits available.

BAREC members look forward to seeing you there.

WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS --- FEMALES IN RADIO
ALARA - AUSTRALIAN LADIES AR ASSOCIATION
http://alara.org.au
Net is held each Mondays on 3.570 MHz, commencing at 1030 UTC.
(1000utc during daylight saving)

King's High School ARISS contact on BBC TV

On April 19 student Eleanor Griffin led the live question and answer session
between King's High School and Warwick Preparatory School (GB4KHS) and
astronaut Ricky Arnold KE5DAU on the International Space Station (NA1SS).

King's High School strongly encourage their girls to develop their interests
both inside and outside the classroom. This culture of empowerment led
one of their girls, Eleanor Griffin, to apply to ARISS Europe (Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station) for a highly prestigious link-up to the
International Space Station.

When Eleanor Griffin was selected to hold a space conversation with an
astronaut, she was inspired to set up the Warwick Mars Project, for students
across the Warwick Independent Schools Foundation, to further interest
in Space Science. Eleanor says: "The moon landings belong to the generation
of our grandparents, and the International Space Station to our parents. What
will happen in our generation? Will Mankind travel to another planet?"

After the ISS contact when asked what this incredible experience had
taught her Eleanor replied "Just do it! No one is going to stop you, if you
just go and pursue your dreams, you really can do anything."

Hopefully the following link is still not geoblocked, the BBC TV news item
broadcast on Midlands Today @bbcmtd Fast forward to
18:45 into the recording at
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09z9tw6/midlands-today-evening-
news-19042018

In this video the students present their work and activities that lead
up the contact, followed at 12:11 by a presentation by ARISS Operations
UK team lead Ciaran Morgan M0XTD with the ISS contact commencing at 31:32
into the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpVc1ikj4pE

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
http://www.ariss.org/apply-to-host-an-ariss-contact.html
https://twitter.com/ARISS_status
King's High School Warwick https://twitter.com/KHSWarwick

[ANS thanks AMSAT-UK for the above information]

WW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP --- MARITIME

Historic US Navy call sign NSS will be reactivated during the 100th
anniversary of the former Naval Radio Station in Annapolis, Maryland.

Members of the US Naval Academy Radio Club (W3ADO) and the Potomac Valley
Radio Club (W3GRF) will return the historic call sign to the air during the
Armed Forces Day Crossband Military/Amateur Radio Communications Test this
weekend.

Transmissions on CW and SSB will take place on 4,038.5; 5,330.5; 7,533.5;
9,447; 14,487, and 17,545 kHz. NSS will listen for callers on announced
frequencies in adjacent Amateur Radio bands.

Cuba has launched 'Operation Meteor' to aid the island in preparing for any
and all possible natural disasters, from droughts to hurricanes and
earthquakes.

Cuba is introducing the preventative initiative next weekend, May 19 and 20,
Chief of the National General Staff of Civil Defence said during a press
conference.

'Meteor' will also connect with radio and television services; the island
communications system, and the Emergency Network of the Amateur Radio
Federation of Cuba.

Across in Costa Rica, radio hams reach agreement with Fire Department

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Radio Club de Costa Rica
and the Fire Department of Costa Rica to support the development of the
'ITU Winlink Node Project' in Costa Rica

This project, is part of ITU's plan for the establishment of a Winlink node
network in the Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, with
the objective of strengthening the response capacity in alternate emergency
communications.

(SouthGate)

Social Scene 2018

Clive Sait, VK4ACC the RADAR CLUB Secretary tells us at least 40 persons
attended the Rocky - Mackay annual get together at Clairview BarraCrab
Caravan park last weekend, 5th May.

This popular event has been running for approx. 20 years.

It's great fun and a fund raiser for both the R'ton -- Mackay Amateur Radio
Clubs.

Roy VK4RM assisted by Clive VK4ACC and a few others disposed of huge amounts
of preloved second hand and new treasure during the fun auction.

Both CB UHF Radios and Amateur radios were raffled as well as a multi draw
raffle.

Operators and friends came from all over Qld for the event. Gavin VK4ZZ from
TARC in Townsville had a few from up north in tow! Even Mals Pie Cart turned
up. (That's the 22/7 Pie).

A reminder when supplying HamFest info we obviously can't plug commercial
traders "on air", but we at the WIA will put your supporters in this text
edition "no worries."

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